MOGADISHU, Somalia, May 29 (UPI) -- A sharp spike in rebel violence in Somalia is forcing thousands of civilians from their homes, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Since the beginning of May, armed conflicts in Somalia's volatile capital of Mogadishu have become frequent and more intense. The violence has resulted in hundreds of civilians with casualties, the ICRC reported.
Officials say the fresh violence in Mogadishu has forced thousands of people from their homes, including a large number of women and children. The ICRC is warning that the camps people are fleeing to are already overpopulated and incapable of sustaining the large increase in refugees.
"The situation is a cause for major concern," Pascal Mauchle, who heads the ICRC delegation for Somalia, said in a statement.
"The displaced usually leave their homes with very few belongings, and struggle to survive. In Somalia's makeshift camps they don't have suitable food and clean water. Insalubrious conditions put their already weakened health further at risk."
